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Ekeh, Zinox Chairman Emerges TT Person of the Year
Mr Leo Stan Ekeh, chairman, Zinox Technologies, has emerged winner of the maiden edition of Technology Times Person of the Year 2016 Award that honours most enduring contributions to the Nigerian ICT industry.
Engineer Aliyu Abubakar Aziz, director general/CEO of National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and Mr Steve Ayorinde, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lagos State, jointly unveiled the award plaque Friday at the Technology Times Outlook 2017 cocktail wrapping up the two-day annual summit held at The MUSON Centre in Lagos.
Speaking at the announcement of the Zinox Chairman as winner of the tech award, Mr Shina Badaru, Founder of Technology Times said the Technology Times Person of the Year 2016 was introduced to honour the person, either in industry or government, that has made the most enduring contribution to the information and communication technology (ICT) industry in Nigeria.
Mr Leo Stan Ekeh was nominated along five other distinguished Nigerians including Dr Mike Adenuga, Chairman Globacom Limited; Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, Chief Executive/Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); Dr Omobola Johnson, Pioneer Minister of Communication Technology for Nigeria; Ms Funke Opeke, Chief Executive Officer, MainOne and Mr Jim Ovia, Pioneer Chairman, Visafone Communications Limited.
These final honourees were decided through complementary decision of Technology Times Editors (40%) and online voting (60%) by the Internet community across Nigeria, Africa and beyond on the official website of the company, www.technologytimes.ng, according to Mr. Badaru.
Based on the results of the online voting, Dr Adenuga, Chairman of Globacom had 15 votes (3%); Professor Danbatta of NCC, 5 votes (1%); Dr Ekeh of Zinox Technologies, 457 votes (90%); Dr Johnson pioneer Minister of Communication Technology, 16 votes (3%); Ms. Opeke of MainOne, 10 votes (2%) and Mr Ovia, pioneer Chairman, Visafone, 5 votes (1%).
Hence, based on the result of the votes, Mr Ekeh, Chairman, Zinox Technologies with 457 votes which is 90% of the total votes, emerged as the winner of the Technology Times Person of The Year 2016.
Leo Stan Ekeh is a serial digital entrepreneur and Chairman of Zinox Group, Sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest integrated technology group, which includes viable concerns such as Zinox Technologies Limited, Task Systems, Technology Distributions Limited and TD Mobile through which the entrepreneur has deployed some of the biggest ICT projects in the country and beyond.
Apart from pioneering Desktop Publishing and Computer Graphics in Nigeria in 1987 with his first company, Task Systems Ltd, Mr. Ekeh launched the first ICT support company in Nigeria – ITEC Solutions Ltd.
He also pioneered ICT Distribution in West Africa with the launch of Technology Distributions Ltd. which has remained the biggest distributor in the West African sub-region.
Mr. Ekeh cited his story as one of many firsts and landmark achievements in his chosen field of Information and Communications Technology.
Mr. Ekeh equally enjoys the status of manufacturing the first internationally certified computer brand in Sub-Saharan Africa – Zinox Computers.
The biometric digital revolution in Nigeria can also be attributed to Mr. Ekeh who delivered the INEC Voters’ registration in 2006 when foreign contractors could not deliver after months of promises.
He again supervised the biggest single ICT digital rollout in Africa with INEC in 2010 as well as the largest single e-Library and Wireless cloud rollout project on the continent through one of his companies – Zinox Technologies Ltd.
Mr. Ekeh has also been involved with companies such as ICT Brokers, TD Plus, ICT Connect and the launch of Nigeria’s first ever e-commerce outfit, Buyright AFRICA Dotcom.
A first-rate Indian-trained Economist, Mr. Ekeh holds a Post Graduate Degree in Risk Management from Nottingham University, England.
On October 1st 2001, Leo Stan Ekeh was honoured as an Icon of Hope by former President, Olusegun Obasanjo for his sustained pioneering efforts in the area of Information technology and also as a pride to modern Nigeria.
A distinguished member of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group and Fellow of the Nigeria Computer Society, Mr. Ekeh holds several honorary doctorate degrees for his enviable record of incisive entrepreneurship and pioneering efforts in the field of Information Technology.
Applauded by professionals as a man whose vision and performance shores up credibility for the indigenous capacities in the ICT sector, Leo Stan Ekeh’s unmatched interventions have seen him receive over 60 local and international awards.
He has also served on a good number of Federal Government Committees, which includes the Presidential Committee for Job Creation, among many others.
He is happily married to the elegant Mrs. Chioma Ekeh with whom he has five children, among who is Prince Nnamdi Ekeh, the 24-year old Founder of Yudala, Africa’s pioneer composite online and offline retail chain.
Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) pursuant to Section 60 of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA), plans to ask Nigerian banks to debit bank accounts of employers who failed to remit tax liability.
This was disclosed in a recent notice on Sunday.
LIRS stressed that the move was in line with the implementation of the country’s NTAA and other new tax laws, which took effect on January 1, 2026.
“Where a taxpayer fails, neglects, or refuses to settle any established outstanding tax liability when due, LIRS may exercise its power under Section 60 to direct any of the following persons to pay the amount owed by the taxpayer:
“Banks and other financial institutions; Employers; tenants, debtors, or customers of the taxpayer; Agents, business partners, and any person holding money on behalf of the taxpayer; Any person owing money to the taxpayer, whether presently due or accruing. Once a substitution notice is issued, the person served is statutorily required to remit to LIRS the amount. Specified in the notice from funds belonging to, or payable to, the defaulting taxpayer,” the LIRS notice partly read.
Meanwhile, Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, weeks ago ruled out claims that the government would debit personal accounts over tax remittances.
Anambra State will implement pro-rata salary payments for civil servants starting February 2026, targeting chronic Monday absenteeism from the long-running sit-at-home order, Information Commissioner Dr. Law Mefor announced Saturday.
Soludo
Speaking at an Awka briefing after the Executive Council’s end-of-tenure retreat, Mefor said improved security and transport have eliminated excuses for the four-year disruption, which cost the state trillions in lost revenue. “Workers enjoyed full pay despite staying away; now, no work means no pay for that day, calculated over 24 working days,” he stated.
Compliance measures include mandatory Monday clock-in forms, with markets urged to reopen fully amid bolstered security. This builds on a January 22 executive order docking 20% pay from teachers absent on Mondays.
Mefor warned that lost Mondays cripple revenue collection and productivity, rejecting alternatives like Saturday shifts as capitulation to agitators.
News
Stakeholders Demand Stronger Governance and Infrastructure to Drive Tech Adoption @ Lagos AI Summit
As AI adoption accelerates across Nigeria, leaders at the “AI in Action Now” conference 2026 have called for a balance between rapid innovation and strict regulatory governance. The event, held at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, highlighted both the doggedness of Nigerian builders and the risks of unregulated data usage.
Dotun Adeoye, Co-Founder of AI Nigeria, raised alarms over “Shadow AI”, a trend where employees upload sensitive official documents to public AI platforms. He praised the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) for its recent aggressive stance, including multi-million-dollar fines against major banks and social media brands.
“Innovation without governance is dangerous. The regulator now has the job of educating players. We are working in partnership with them to ensure players don’t just get fined, but actually understand how to protect data locally rather than storing it abroad, ” Adeoye noted.
Addressing issues of lack of infrastructure to carry AI adoption, Conference Convener Debola Ibiyode admitted that while Nigeria lacks the traditional foundation for AI adoption, the tech community cannot afford to wait.
“The simple answer is we don’t have the infrastructure, but Nigeria has never really had infrastructure to drive anything, and we still thrive, ” Iboyode said, encouraging students and builders to look beyond current limitations. “Once we start to build based on what we have now, it will encourage those who need to provide the infrastructure to do their part. The world will not wait for us,” she insisted.
To bridge this gap, she highlighted the AI Foundry Africa, an incubator designed to mentor ideas into market-ready products.
Meanwhile, speaking to journalists on the sidelines, Biodun Ogunleye, the Lagos State Commissioner of Energy and Mineral Resources, echoed the sentiment that the government’s role is to facilitate the right environment through partnership. He emphasized that data generated from interactions with the government must have long-term value.
“We must ensure that in all facets from production to interaction with government, the tools required to ensure data has value are appreciated,” Ogunleye stated.
He concluded that through private-sector collaboration, the government can focus on its primary functions while leveraging AI to ensure the nation aspires for the future.
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